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Morning Headlines | Selected by the WNYC News Hub

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Governor Chris Christie calls on State Legislature to act on tax relief during a special session in the Assembly Chambers at the Statehouse in Trenton, N.J. on July 2, 2012.
(Governor's Office/Tim Larsen))

Must-read headlines from around the city, curated by the WNYC Newsroom.

POLITICSAssembly Republicans Revive Christie’s Plans to Reduce Property Taxes (The Star-Ledger) Salvador Rizzo reports: “Branded as a part of Christie’s new "Middle-Class Reform Agenda," the measure introduced Monday would create a 10 percent property tax credit capped at $1,000, to be phased in over four years. It’s almost identical to a proposal by Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), except that state Democrats put the brakes on that plan in June, citing the state’s economic difficulties.”

POLITICSUnions Find a GOP Ally (WSJ) Andrew Grossman reports: “Michael Grimm, a freshman congressman from Staten Island, has become a rare Republican ally for unions in the building and construction trades. In turn, those unions are backing Mr. Grimm, a candidate who rose to power in 2010 with the help of the tea party—a movement with a strong antiunion streak.”

POLITICSFather’s Bribery Case Hangs Over Daughter’s House Bid (NYT) David W. Chen reports that Grace Meng’s latest endorsement was overshadowed by her father’s legal troubles: “After her remarks, the only two questions reporters asked Ms. Meng related not to her latest endorsement, but to the legal troubles faced by her father. ‘I love my dad very much; I’m praying for him,’ she said, responding to both questions with nearly identical answers. ‘But this campaign is completely separate from any of the charges. ’Such questions have become routine for Ms. Meng, 36, ever since her father, former Assemblyman Jimmy K. Meng, was arrested in July on federal bribery charges.”

EDUCATIONN.J. to Pilot Early Testing for Kindergarten (NJ Spotlight) John Mooney reports: “New Jersey has enlisted six school districts and a charter school to test out the new ‘kindergarten entry assessment’ (KEA), which will measure children for basic academic and social development. Nearly 50 teachers and administrators in the districts began training in August to learn to use a commercial assessment tool called Teaching Strategies GOLD.”

EDUCATIONBoard Votes for Bigger Type on City Ballots (NYT) Michael Grynbaum reports: “The city’s Board of Elections voted on Tuesday to increase the font size on its ballots for the general election in November, after squinting New Yorkers complained they could barely read the names of the candidates in the primaries this month. The city had been printing the names in a minuscule seven-point font, smaller than the font used for the ballot’s instructions. City Council members called for an inquiry, and one leading typographer described the design as ‘a mess.’”

PARKSBoost in Parks Fees Spurs Wreck-Reation (NYP) David Seifman reports: “In a remarkable feat of fiscal stupidity, the city Parks Department lost $200,000 last year after it doubled fees at 32 neighborhood recreation centers. Records show that more than 50,000 people shed their memberships during the 12-month period beginning July 1, 2011, when the annual admission charge for adults soared from $50 to $100, and from $75 to $150 for facilities with pools.”

POLITICSMurdoch Outfoxed by Fringe Political Party (Crain’s) Chris Bragg reports: “In a snafu thick with irony, Rupert Murdoch was fooled into joining a minor but controversial New York political party. The conservative News Corp. billionaire and staunch supporter of Israel is enrolled in the New York Independence Party, whose New York City faction has been linked to anti-Semitic statements. Mr. Murdoch registered as a member of the party two years ago, according to voter registration records. News Corp. spokesman Nathaniel Brown said Mr. Murdoch had checked the wrong box on a voter registration form.”

HOUSINGNYCHA's Slow Response Forces Evicted Families into Shelters, Lawsuit Claims (NYDN) Greg Smith reports: “Low-income tenants evicted through no fault of their own wind up homeless because the city Housing Authority is so slow finding them new places to live, a class-action lawsuit charges. The suit, filed Monday by the Legal Aid Society, says NYCHA takes months to respond when families are evicted, forcing some families into shelters — even though the agency is required to “promptly” relocate tenants under the federal housing subsidy program known as Section 8.”

TRANSPORTATIONCity Puts Brakes on Controversial Greyhound Bus Stop on LES, Pols Say (DNAInfo) Serena Solomon reports: “A contentious plan by bus company Greyhound to turn the sidewalk outside an Essex Street playground into a bus stop will not go ahead as originally planned, elected officials announced Tuesday... Greyhound had intended to use the spot, outside the city's oldest playground in Seward Park, to launch its new YO! Bus line Thursday... The backpedal comes after the DOT approved Greyhound's application last week, despite residents' concern over increased traffic in the area, added exhaust fumes from buses and their impact on children who use the nearby playground.”

EDUCATIONStuyvesant Students Describe the How and the Why of Cheating (NYT) Vivian Yee reports: “In interviews this month, more than three dozen students, alumni and teachers said that large-scale cheating... was rare at Stuyvesant. But lower-level cheating, they said, occurs every day... Although students enter the school knowing they are among the best in the city, they must compete with hundreds just like them. And, they say, the pressures only grow.”

EDUCATIONNo More Pencils, No More Books: Are School Librarians Becoming Obsolete (NJ Spotlight) John Mooney reports: “Over the past five years, the number of certified library/media specialists in New Jersey’s public schools has dropped by almost 15 percent, according to the statewide association, and its own membership has been cut almost in half. There were 1,580 certified specialists statewide last year, down from 1,850 in 2007-2008, serving roughly 2,500 schools.”

OBITSAs the People’s Priest, He Fought for the Forgotten of the Bronx(NYT) Winnie Hu reports: “The Rev. John C. Flynn could have been a monsignor, but as he told the story in later years, he refused the elevation because he already held a title more to his liking: the people’s priest. Father Flynn, 83, who spent a half-century championing the poor, the disadvantaged and the forgotten of the Bronx, died on Monday at the Schervier Nursing Care Center in Riverdale after a long debilitating illness, according to his family.”

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